LET MY WORDS BE FEW

We've heard a lot about grace lately.  It's been a big buzz for some time, in fact.  But when YOU think of grace, what comes to mind??

THE WAY I VIEW GRACE is by looking back at my childhood. When I was a little girl I used to like to stand on top of an old rusty oil barrel in my daddy's back yard and balance on it.  But the most fun was to walk on top of it and make it roll.  My friend Cookie and I had a ton of fun practicing our barrel walking lol.  But guess what?! What we thought was just fun, became off limits one day.  My stepmom found out what we were doing and told us we had to stop.  She was concerned we would get hurt.  Of course being children, we knew nothing about those kind of possibilities.  I was usually pretty obedient.  But that rule seemed senseless to us and  therefore, too tempting not to break.  So we did.  Cookie would lay on the grass looking under the house to keep a look out for "Ms Agnes", while I rolled to my heart's content. And then I would take my turn being the scout while Cookie had her turn at being disobedient.  We knew what we were doing was wrong but Oh what fun!  It was worth the risk!  Until we were busted.  Somehow, Cookie lost her guard and my stepmom got out of the house without her noticing, and caught us!!! The disappointment on my stepmom's face was more crushing to me than my sin.  All of a sudden, I became repentant!  Repentance doesn't mean "I'm sorry I got caught".  Repentance means a complete change of thinking that results in changed behaviour!   I never walked that barrel again.  No one had to make me.  It was internal.  That love, not fear, kept me from committing that particular sin again.  I don't remember being punished for that disobedience that day--but I surely deserved it and even EXPECTED it (namely kneeling on rice, because that was how us children were disciplined in south Louisiana in those days).  Her disappointment in me was enough.  She showed me grace I didn't deserve.  Her grace didn't become an excuse for me to disobey again.  Her grace kept me from the desire to do it again.  In the same way, I often think of God's amazing grace.  I know the right thing to do and yet I don't always do it.   I deserve God's wrath; we all do, after all, we are guilty.  But Christ took my punishment.  The chastisement of MY sin was upon HIM.  HE carried ALL my guilt and shame!  Does that make me want to sneak around and do what I know is wrong, hoping not to get caught by God?  Oh my no!  When my sin is brought to my awareness, I'm completely humbled by His grace that I won't ever get what I truly deserve because of placing my trust in Christ Jesus alone and His work on that cross for my sin, for me!  Grace and His love are what control me; not fear.  There is power in grace that fear knows nothing of.  I'm forever grateful to know God's gift of grace and the power of His perfect love.

GRACE ISN'T AN EXCUSE TO GET OUT OF YOUR SIN.  IT'S THE POWER TO GET OUT OF IT.